Attendees at conferences and meetings typically are provided with display badges which are worn by the attendees to identify themselves and provide information concerning the attendees, such as the name of the attendee, company name, position with the company, location, and so forth. A very commonly used display badge is formed as a clear plastic pocket having a clasp by which the plastic pocket can be attached to clothing, with a card inserted into the plastic pocket bearing printing to identify the wearer.
At many conventions and meetings, it has become common practice to further identify particular participants in the meetings by attaching a ribbon with a title on it to the display badge. These ribbons are similar to award ribbons (e.g., a "blue ribbon", etc.), and are attached by an adhesive to hang from the badge. Examples of titles which have been used on these ribbons are "President", "Vice-President", "Board Member", "Press", "Officer", "Membership Committee", "Foundation", and so forth. Of course, many possible titles may be used, depending on the organization and the meeting. Some organizations have imprinted their logo on the ribbons, and others have custom designed ribbons which are specific to the organization.
Such display ribbons have generally had the type imprinted on the ribbon vertically, so that the word identifying the wearer is read from top to bottom. The ribbons are typically 1.5 inch to 2 inches across and about 6 inches long, with the printing extending vertically along the long dimension of the ribbon from top to bottom. If the individual wearing the badge has participated in several positions or has won several honors, he or she may have several ribbons of different colors hanging from his or her badge. Since different titles typically have different color ribbons, there is often a rainbow effect to the ribbons.
It has usually been a cumbersome job to attach the ribbons to the badges. The ribbons typically are attached by taping the top of the ribbon to the inside or backside of the badge. Cellophane tape (e.g., "Scotch".RTM. tape) has often been used. More recently, double faced pressure sensitive adhesive tape has been used to attach the ribbons. Some manufacturers have attached a small strip of the double sided tape directly to the top of the ribbon. The tape is covered by a release sheet until the ribbon is to be used. To attach the ribbon to the badge, the release sheet is pulled off by the user and then the exposed pressure sensitive adhesive is pressed on to the back of the badge.
There are several problems with such prior ribbons. First, if there is only one ribbon, it appears like a long tail hanging from the badge. It is cumbersome and tends to wrinkle as it is worn. On the other hand, if several ribbons are being worn, such as three or more, it is difficult to attach them to the badge since the ribbons themselves are wider than the badge. Finally, the ribbons are difficult to read since the words on the ribbons are printed vertically, with the letters of the word one on top of the other, rather than horizontally as in normal printing.